高一英语听力练习

高一英语听力Unit 2 English around t

THE ROAD TO MODERN ENGLISH

At the end of the 16th century, about five to seven million people spoke1 English. Nearly all of them lived in England. Later in the next century, people from England made voyages to conquer2 other parts of the world and because of that, English began to be spoken in many other countries. Today, more people speak English as their first, second or a foreign language than ever before.

Native English speakers can understand each other even if they don't speak the same kind of English. Look at this example:

British Betty: Would you like to see my flat?

American Amy: Yes. I'd like to come up to your apartment.

So why has English changed over time? Actually all languages change and develop when cultures meet and communicate with each other. At first the English spoken in England between about AD 450 and 1150 was very different from the English spoken today. It was based more on German than the English we speak at present. Then gradually between about AD 800 and 1150, English became less like German because those who ruled England spoke first Danish and later French. These new settlers enriched3 the English language and especially its vocabulary. So by the 1600's Shakespeare was able to make use of a wider vocabulary than ever before. In 1620 some British settlers moved to America. Later in the 18th century some British people were taken to Australia too. English began to be spoken in both countries.

Finally by the 19th century the language was settled. At that time two big changes in English spelling happened: first Samuel Johnson wrote his dictionary and later Noah Webster wrote The American Dictionary of the English Language. The latter gave a separate identity4 to American English spelling.

English now is also spoken as a foreign or second language in South Asia. For example, India has a very large number of fluent English speakers because Britain ruled India from 1765 to 1947. During that time English became the language for government and education. English is also spoken in Singaporeand Malaysiaand countries in Africa such as South Africa. Today the number of people learning5 English in China is increasing rapidly. In fact, China may have the largest number of English learners. Will Chinese English develop its own identity? Only time will tell.

高一英语听力Unit 1 Friendship-Readi

ANNE'S BEST FRIEND

Do you want a friend whom you could tell everything to, like your deepest feelings and thoughts? Or are you afraid that your friend would laugh at you, or would not understand what you are going through? Anne Frank1 wanted the first kind, so she made her diary her best friend.

Anne lived in Amsterdam in the Netherlands during World War II. Her family was Jewish2 so they had to hide or they would be caught by the German Nazis3. She and her family hid away for nearly twenty-five months before they were discovered. During that time the only true friend was her diary. She said, "I don't want to set down a series4 of facts in a diary as most people do, but I want this diary itself to be my friend, and I shall call my friend Kitty." Now read how she felt after being in the hiding place since July 1942.

高一英语听力文章：Crime-犯-罪

Why do we have crime? When will it all stop? It’s sad that there is so much crime in our society. It hurts so many people. Most people in the world just want to live happily and be good neighbours. Why do some people turn to crime? Money is a big reason. Many criminals pickpocket, steal, kidnap, or even kill people to get money. There are many terrible crimes in the world. Perhaps the worst is ethnic cleansing. This is a crime against humanity. Many people are killed because of their colour or religion. People who commit this crime rarely go to prison. Have you ever been a victim of crime? What do you think we need to do to reduce crime rates? Perhaps you should write to your government. Tell your leaders enough is enough.